September 17, 2004

Boothe Prepares for Final Season

By | September 17, 2004

Listed at an imposing 6-5, 300 pounds, senior right tackle Kevin Boothe would seem to be the prototypical offensive lineman. With a striking ability to crush opposing tackles into oblivion and almost single-handedly mold offensive rushing plays, he would seem like the kind of guy who would be useful backup in a fight.

Furthermore, a quick glance at the NFL scouting reports would uncover the fact that Boothe is ranked as one of the top 25 offensive linemen in the country.

A casual observer may be thinking, “Meathead, right? All brawn and no brains?” Wrong. Not only is Boothe one of the most dominating athletes Cornell football has ever encountered, he is also one of the most eloquent and humble people the world has ever seen.

Always quick to deflect praise onto teammates and never willing to take sole credit for anything, Boothe is a consummate gentleman and an example to his peers. A future graduate of the School of Hotel Administration, Boothe is the ideal student athlete — not to mention a vital piece in the Red’s strategy to bring home an Ivy League title.

“Boothe is as good of a lineman as I have seen at any level,” said head coach Jim Knowles ’87. “He could play anywhere he wants to.”

Despite representing a line which ranked last in the Ivy League in opponent’s sacks last season (29 sacks given up for 207 negative yards), Boothe was named first team All-Ivy in 2003 and was a pre-season first team All-Ivy pick this year.

Again at the helm of an offensive line consisting of four returning seniors and significantly more experience, Boothe is confident that 2004 will be the complete reverse of last season’s 1-9 disaster.

“The guys who have been here realize 1-9 is 1-9 — and no one wants to feel that way again,” Boothe said. “The pressure is on us to succeed only because we have such high expectations of ourselves.”

The offensive line has been working on reading defensive tendencies far in advance — a technique Boothe expects will limit the penetration opposing blitzers can manage during the course of a game.

“We have been practicing taking the hits off [quarterback] D.J. [Busch],” Boothe said. “It’s imperative for us to protect him.”

Boothe and the rest of the offense have spent the summer adjusting to first-year coach Knowles’ new playbook and schemes. After bottoming out the Ivy League in both passing and rushing offense last year, Boothe and his teammates recognize that in spite of a brand new system, there is only room for improvement.

“Knowles instills a hard-work attitude in each player,” Boothe said. “He wants us to win on every play. The most important part of our job is executing those plays.”

Boothe’s distinguished career on the field began at a small private high school in Plantation, Fla., where his family moved after Boothe was born in Queens, N.Y. He played on both sides of the ball at Pine Crest School, earning second-team all-state honors as a senior in perhaps the most competitive high school football state in the nation.

Boothe acknowledges his older brother Charles — who played football for East Carolina University in the early 1990’s — as an inspiration to play. He even wears number 77, Charles’ old jersey number.

“I played against some studs in high school,” Boothe said. “Every team had someone going somewhere — I remember when we played against [Washington Redskins free safety] Sean Taylor. The competition in Florida was great preparation for college.”

Boothe’s adjustment to college life at Cornell included not only a stark meteorological change — the sunny skies of Florida versus the unforgiving winters of Ithaca — but also a reinvention of how he approached football. Faster and stronger players, complex new coaching strategies and the pressures of a Division I program all threatened Boothe’s continued success in the game.

Yet, like opposing defenses blitzing on first down, Boothe subdued these challenges with confidence and authority.

“I definitely feel the most comfortable and at home here [at Cornell],” Boothe said. “Football is much more a combination of mental and physical aspects at the college level. It’s very intricate and smart, and the game is constantly testing you.”

Thus far, Boothe has passed such tests with ease. He has been a starter on the offensive line since his sophomore year — a year in which he garnered second team All-Ivy honors. In 2002, the Red accumulated 1,251 rushing yards, the most of any Cornell team since 1996. Last year, Boothe’s pass protection skills led quarterbacks Mick Razzano and Busch to a combined 2,167 passing yards.

Now, with the twilight of an illustrious collegiate career coming into view, Boothe is preparing for the next stage in his life. A stage that, he hopes, will include football.

“I can’t really picture myself in a regular job,” Boothe said. “I want to take this game as far as I can.”

He may just get his wish in the 2005 NFL Draft. Despite playing with two partially broken hands during all of last season, the senior still garnered enough attention from NFL scouts to be ranked among the top offensive tackle prospects in Division I.

With the size and quickness of a pro lineman, a good season this year could cement Boothe’s position as a mid-rounds pick.

Yet, before the ink dries on a multi-million dollar signing bonus, Boothe wants to insure that his senior season is the most memorable of all.

“Every time you play, you want to play like it will be your last time on the field,” Boothe said. “This year, that phrase has new meaning. This season is about bringing things to a new level.”

For Boothe, that level will be providing Busch and the Red’s trio of running backs (Marcus Blanks, Andre Hardaway and Joshua Johnston) with all the time and space they need to maneuver. And if the scrimmage against Ithaca College on Sept. 4 is any indication — the trio combined for 81 yards and two touchdowns — Boothe and his fellow linemen seem to be settling into their roles effectively already.

Boothe will see his first action of the 2004 season at Bucknell tomorrow when the Red travels to Lewisburg, Pa., for its season-opener.

Last year, the Red had a huge offensive game against the Bison, accumulating 375 total yards on 72 plays.

Johnston and Blanks accounted for 125 yards on the ground for the Red, which is looking to establish the run early again tomorrow.

Related

BySeptember 20, 2004

LEWISBURG, Pa. — Head coach Jim Knowles’ ’87 first game at the helm of the Cornell football program ended in a loss Saturday night, as the Red (0-1) succumbed to the Bucknell (1-1) on soggy turf at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. The loss extended Cornell’s losing streak to a school record-tying ten games, with its last win coming against the Bison in its home-opener a year ago. Despite the loss, Cornell showed improvement and played solidly until the final minutes of the fourth quarter, when two big plays set Bucknell up for its winning score. With only 4:51 remaining on the game clock, the Red held a 9-7 lead, but Bucknell’s Daris Wilson hit Nissan Trotter on a 49-yard pass from scrimmage, putting the Bison into Cornell territory. On the next play, Wilson picked up 21 yards on the ground, setting the Bison up to punch the ball in and send Cornell home. Prior to that, the senior tandem of quarterback D.J. Busch and wideout Chad Nice, and junior running backs Andre Hardaway and Joshua Johnston, worked offensively to give the Red the lead. Busch finished the evening 19-of-38 for 193 yards, with Nice hauling in six passes for 84 yards. Hardaway rushed for 40 yards on 15 carries, leading the team on the ground, while Johnston followed just behind him, picking up 35 yards on 12 runs. Special teams and defense also factored heavily in the contest, as senior Joel Sussman blocked two field goal attempts for Cornell, and senior defensive back Sean Nassoiy picked up his first interception of the season, stuffing a Bucknell drive. The Red also failed to convert two-of-three field goal attempts and missed one PAT — misses which cost the team valuable points and momentum. “Any time you play a first game, you really work on moving the ball and controlling the game, and I think we did that for the most part tonight. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough on the scoreboard,” Knowles said. “I told our guys in the locker room that I was proud of their effort, but they shouldn’t be satisfied with that. They came here to win, and now we have to go back and get it done next weekend. We can be a good football team, and we’re going to be a good football team.” The game began evenly, with both teams dueling for possession throughout the first quarter and trading their fair share of mistakes. Bucknell came out on top after the first 15 minutes of play, however, scoring the period’s only points. From the outset, Cornell played well on offense and defense, but the team failed to convert on most of its possessions, going three-and-out and forced to punt. After picking up a quick first down on its opening drive, Bucknell stifled the Red, forcing it to punt. The Bison took the ball over but gave it back almost as quickly, fumbling on their second play. Sophomore cornerback Matt Grant recovered the drop for Cornell. But the team could not capitalize on the turnover, again stalling after three downs before senior placekicker Trevor MacMeekin missed a 34-yard field goal attempt. The game’s first score happened following the change of possession, when Bucknell drove 80 yards on 11 plays to find the end zone 4:20 into the game. The score came after Wilson connected with tight end Ian Nutt off of a bootleg pass. After both teams traded the ball back-and-forth to open the second quarter, the Red picked up its only touchdown of the game after Nice made a crucial 23-yard catch on third-and-13. After the grab, Cornell called a timeout to regroup. Busch emerged throwing, connecting again with Nice for 16- and 10-yard gains to get the Red to the Bucknell 10. In the red zone, Knowles put senior safety Brad Kitlowski in at fullback to lead the way for Hardaway, who picked up eight yards on the play, putting Cornell on the two-yard line. Hardaway banged his way into the end zone on the next play, but MacMeekin missed the extra point, and the Bison maintained their 7-6 lead going into halftime. “We need to work on our kicking game,” Knowles said. “Those are the little things that we need to do to win.” Neither team sustained a drive in the third quarter, which ended with numerous punts and no scoring. Junior Matt Pollack did pick up his first sack of the season, however, after breaking through the Bison offensive line on a blitz, and senior Mike McGinty stuffed Wilson for no gain on the next play from scrimmage, forcing Bucknell to punt. The fourth quarter opened with Cornell still trailing by one and Bucknell driving downfield. The series ended on Cornell’s own 35, though, when senior defensive lineman Ryan Lempa fell on a fumble, giving the ball back to the Red. Busch took the team downfield in sharp fashion on Cornell’s ensuing drive, hitting junior tight end Chris Eckstein with a 22-yard bullet over the middle, while Hardaway picked up 19 yards on two carries to put the Red in scoring position on Bucknell’s 18. A series of plays got Cornell closer — down to the eight yard line — but Bucknell’s Joe Glenn tackled Hardaway for a seven-yard loss on third-and-goal, and Cornell opted for a field goal try. Coming in to replace MacMeekin, junior A.J. Weitsman booted the ball 28 yards through the uprights for the score, giving Cornell a slim lead, 9-7, with 4:51 remaining in the game. “We had some momentum then, and we had to keep it going,” Knowles said. After that, the things went downhill for the Red, as Bucknell connected on two big plays for the contest’s final score. Wilson first hit Trotter for a huge 49-yard pickup, then kept the ball himself, running to the Cornell one-yard line before faking a handoff and walking into the end zone. Carrying the team again, Wilson found Nutt alone in the end zone, completing the Bison’s two-point conversion attempt and putting the team up, 15-9. Passing on third and fourth downs in its last possession, Cornell tried to move the ball downfield, but saw both passes deflected — with them, the Red’s hopes of salvaging a victory. To seal the deal, Bucknell converted on fourth-and-four with fewer than 30 seconds to play and held out for the win. “Unfortunately, that was [Bucknell] matching up on our freshman corner back [Trotter] going up and winning the battle for the ball,” Knowles said. “That’s the hard part. It was one mistake. On on the next play, our back-side containment just flowed too far. It’s over …” Cornell plays Yale Saturday in its home opener, dubbed “Schoellkopf Sellout II.” The Bulldogs have beaten the Red for three straight years.Archived article by Everett HullversonSun Assistant Sports Editor

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A study examining the socioeconomic status of the U.S. population recently concluded that more than half of all Americans between the ages of 20 and 65 will use food stamps at least once in their lives.